The message remained in Tez's hand long after everyone else had fallen silent.
"Tez, if you are reading this, then someone in your group has already betrayed you."
Below it, another sentence had been written.
"And the traitor is closer than you think."
The morning wind moved through the mountain pass.
No one spoke.
Tez slowly folded the palm leaf.
His heart was beating hard, but his face remained calm.
He had learned something during his journey through loss.
Fear did not disappear when a person became strong.
A strong person simply learned how to hide fear long enough to make the right decision.
He looked at the people around him.
Bhaskar.
Aditi.
Keshav.
Somesh.
Arivaan.
Vaidehi.
One of them could be the traitor.
Perhaps more than one.
But there was another possibility.
Perhaps Devadatta's message was meant to test him.
Perhaps the traitor was not among them at all.
Perhaps the Black Eclipse had found another way to deceive him.
Tez knew one thing with certainty.
He could not trust blindly anymore.
The Secret He Kept
"What's written there?" Bhaskar asked.
Tez looked at him.
For a moment, he almost answered.
Then he remembered Devadatta's warning.
Do not trust the man who leads you to me.
And the newer message:
The traitor is closer than you think.
Tez folded the palm leaf again.
"Nothing important."
Bhaskar frowned.
"You looked disturbed."
"It's an old message."
"From whom?"
Tez paused.
"Someone who knew my father."
Bhaskar accepted the answer, but Tez noticed something.
The warrior's eyes remained on the palm leaf.
For only a second.
Then he looked away.
It could mean nothing.
Or everything.
Tez placed the message inside his clothing.
"We should continue."
Arivaan looked at him.
Their eyes met.
The old Guardian knew Tez was hiding something.
But he said nothing.
The Western Ridge
The group continued along the mountain path.
The western ridge was unlike the forests they had crossed earlier.
The land was dry.
Tall rocks rose on both sides.
Small shrubs grew between cracks.
The morning sun appeared briefly before disappearing behind the mountains.
They travelled in silence.
Everyone seemed lost in thought.
The discovery of the traitor had changed the group.
Before, they had walked like companions.
Now they walked like strangers.
Tez noticed it immediately.
Bhaskar kept watching the rear.
Keshav rarely spoke.
Aditi stayed close to Somesh.
Arivaan walked alone.
Vaidehi remained beside Tez.
After some time, she whispered,
"You're hiding something."
Tez continued walking.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I know your face."
He glanced at her.
"What does my face say?"
"That you're afraid."
Tez gave a faint smile.
"I'm not afraid."
Vaidehi stopped.
Tez took a few more steps before realizing she was no longer beside him.
He turned.
She looked at him seriously.
"You don't have to lie to me."
Tez returned.
"I wasn't trying to."
"You were."
"Vaidehi..."
"You've been quiet since we left the valley."
"So have you."
"Because I know something is wrong."
She folded her arms.
"And I know you well enough now to understand when you're carrying something alone."
Tez looked away.
For a few moments, he said nothing.
Then he removed the palm leaf.
He handed it to her.
Vaidehi read it.
Her expression changed.
She read it again.
Then she looked at Tez.
"This is your father's handwriting."
"Yes."
"When did you find this?"
"Just before we left."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't know whom to trust."
Vaidehi's eyes hardened.
"Not even me?"
Tez immediately regretted his words.
"No."
She waited.
"Then who?"
"I don't know."
"That's the problem."
Tez lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Vaidehi's expression softened slightly.
"I don't need you to protect me by keeping me ignorant."
"I need you to trust me."
Tez looked at her.
"I do."
"Then from now on, no secrets between us."
He nodded.
"No secrets."
She held out her hand.
"Promise?"
Tez looked at her hand.
Then he placed his own over it.
"Promise."
Neither moved for a moment.
There was something different in the silence between them.
It was not simply friendship anymore.
It was trust.
Something deeper was beginning to grow.
Neither was ready to name it.
Perhaps neither needed to.
The Watchtower
By midday, they reached an old stone structure standing on the edge of the ridge.
It had once been a watchtower.
Only half of it remained.
Its upper walls had collapsed.
Grass grew between the stones.
Arivaan stopped.
"We rest here."
Bhaskar looked around.
"Is it safe?"
"No place is safe anymore."
Keshav sighed.
"That is becoming a depressing lesson."
Aditi smiled faintly.
"At least he's honest."
They entered the ruined tower.
Inside were signs that someone had lived there recently.
Ashes.
Broken clay cups.
A piece of rope.
Fresh footprints.
Tez immediately became alert.
"Someone was here."
Bhaskar examined the ground.
"Recently."
Arivaan looked toward the northern wall.
"There."
A small mark had been carved into the stone.
Tez recognized it.
The Guardian symbol.
But beneath it was another mark.
Two intersecting lines.
He had seen it before.
On the map.
In his father's records.
"The Western Sanctuary," he whispered.
Somesh came closer.
"Yes."
Tez touched the carving.
"Father was here."
Vaidehi examined the wall.
"And my mother."
There was a second symbol beside the first.
Her family's lotus mark.
Tez felt a strange warmth in his chest.
Their parents had truly travelled together.
They had followed the same path.
Perhaps they had planned for their children to continue it.
The Hidden Chamber
Aditi noticed something unusual.
"The stones here are different."
Bhaskar pushed against the wall.
Nothing happened.
Tez examined the carvings.
Then he remembered the Seven Fires.
Seven qualities.
Seven symbols.
He pressed the symbols in order.
Knowledge.
Discipline.
Compassion.
Truth.
Courage.
Sacrifice.
Unity.
The wall moved.
A hidden chamber opened.
Everyone stared.
Inside was a small room.
There was a stone table.
A clay lamp.
And several old palm-leaf manuscripts.
Tez picked up the first one.
The writing was Devadatta's.
He read:
"We reached the Western Watchtower three years ago."
Tez's heart raced.
Three years.
His father had been alive after Suryanagari.
He continued.
"Someone is following us."
Vaidehi leaned closer.
The next line made both of them freeze.
"We do not know whether the pursuer serves the Black Eclipse."
"Or whether he serves someone inside the Guardians."
Tez looked at Vaidehi.
The betrayal had begun long before their current journey.
The Second Record
Vaidehi opened another manuscript.
This one was written by her mother.
"Devadatta believes the enemy is watching the roads."
"I believe they are watching the people."
Vaidehi paused.
"Watching the people?"
She read on.
"Someone has been giving away our movements."
"We changed our route three times."
"Each time, they found us."
Tez's face became tense.
"The same thing is happening to us."
Vaidehi nodded.
"They always know where we are."
Somesh looked troubled.
"Then the traitor has access to our movements."
"Which means..."
Bhaskar looked around the room.
"...someone here."
Silence.
Tez carefully placed the manuscript down.
No one spoke.
The mountain wind entered through a broken window.
For a moment, the only sound was the flutter of palm leaves.
A Strange Discovery
Keshav suddenly called from outside.
"Come here."
They hurried out.
Keshav was standing behind the watchtower.
He pointed toward the ground.
There were footprints.
Several.
Some were old.
But one set was fresh.
Tez crouched down.
"These are from today."
Bhaskar examined them.
"They came from the north."
"Where do they lead?"
Tez followed the marks.
They disappeared behind a large rock.
There he found something.
A small wooden token.
It carried the Black Eclipse symbol.
But on the back was a tiny Guardian mark.
Tez stared at it.
"This was dropped by someone who knows both orders."
Arivaan's expression became serious.
"That is dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because it means the enemy is no longer simply hiding among ordinary people."
"They have someone who understands the Guardians."
Tez remembered Devadatta's warning.
The traitor was closer than he thought.
Someone Is Watching
That night, the group made camp inside the ruined watchtower.
No fire was lit.
They did not want to reveal their position.
Tez remained awake.
Vaidehi sat beside him.
The others slept.
"You should rest," she whispered.
"So should you."
"I can't."
"Why?"
She looked toward the mountains.
"Because if my mother is alive..."
She stopped.
Tez understood.
He did not tell her that he felt the same about his father.
Instead, he said,
"We'll find them."
She looked at him.
"You really believe that?"
"I need to."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"That's not the same as believing."
"No."
"But it's enough for tonight."
They sat quietly.
The mountain sky was filled with stars.
For a moment, the war, the Black Eclipse and the betrayal seemed far away.
Then Tez noticed movement.
A shadow passed behind the broken wall.
He stood immediately.
Vaidehi followed.
"Someone's outside."
They moved silently.
The shadow disappeared around the back of the tower.
Tez followed.
He saw a person walking toward the edge of the ridge.
The figure wore a dark cloak.
Tez recognized the walk.
He stopped.
The person turned.
Tez quickly hid behind a stone.
The figure continued into the darkness.
Tez waited.
Then followed.
The Secret Meeting
The figure reached a narrow cliff overlooking the valley.
Another person was waiting there.
A Black Eclipse soldier.
Tez's heart stopped.
The cloaked person spoke quietly.
"Did you bring what I asked?"
The soldier nodded.
"Yes."
"Where is the boy?"
"At the watchtower."
"And the others?"
"Still there."
The cloaked figure lowered his voice.
"We have very little time."
Tez moved closer.
He needed to see the face.
The soldier asked,
"Are you certain he trusts you?"
The cloaked figure answered:
"He trusts me completely."
Tez froze.
The words struck him like a blow.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it every day.
The voice belonged to someone from his own group.
Someone he had fought beside.
Someone he had believed was loyal.
The Black Eclipse soldier whispered:
"Then everything is ready."
The cloaked figure replied:
"Good."
"Once the boy reaches the Western Sanctuary, we take the Seal."
Tez's hand tightened around his weapon.
The soldier asked:
"And if he refuses?"
The cloaked figure answered:
"Then we use Vaidehi."
Tez's blood ran cold.
He took one silent step forward.
A stone shifted beneath his foot.
Crack.
Both figures turned.
Tez stepped back into the shadows.
The cloaked figure stared toward his hiding place.
"Who's there?"
Tez held his breath.
The Black Eclipse soldier drew his weapon.
But before they could reach him, a sudden gust swept across the cliff.
Tez used the darkness to retreat.
He ran back toward the watchtower.
His heart was pounding.
Now he knew.
There really was a traitor.
And the traitor was someone he trusted.
Someone who believed Tez trusted him completely.
The Choice
Tez reached the watchtower.
Vaidehi immediately noticed his expression.
"What happened?"
Tez looked at her.
For a moment, he could not speak.
Then he said quietly:
"I found the traitor."
Her face changed.
"Who?"
Tez looked toward the sleeping figures inside.
"We can't accuse him yet."
"Why?"
"Because if we do, the Black Eclipse will know we discovered them."
Vaidehi understood.
"So what do we do?"
Tez looked toward the mountains.
"We let the traitor believe everything is still under control."
"And then?"
"We follow him."
Vaidehi nodded.
"Together."
Tez looked at her.
"Together."
Far away, on the edge of the cliff, the mysterious figure returned to the darkness.
He looked toward the watchtower.
Then quietly whispered:
"Forgive me, Tez."
And disappeared into the night.